not against you.” She searched for the right words. “I...I’ve just seen what being part of your family did to my stepmother. The kidnapping. Reginald leaving her. The blame. It destroyed her.” She regained her purpose in chasing after him. “I’ll be damned if I’ll let anyone make her suffer like that again.”
“Maybe I can understand your concern, but none of us—my brother, my sister or I—would harm Ruby. What happened in the past isn’t going to stop me from trying to find Jackson.”
“Fine. Look for him, just don’t involve Ruby.”
“I’ll protect her as much as I can.” He watched her awhile. “I know what it’s like to want to protect your family. I felt estranged from my parents, but I love my brother and sister. I would do anything for Whit and Landry.”
She smiled, believing he would. Carson didn’t strike her as the type to abandon those close to him. He was a doer.
But what would she do about him searching for Jackson and dragging Ruby through that hell all over again? She’d never find closure. She would have to relive that nightmare.
“What makes you think you’ll find Jackson any easier than your father?” she asked.
“I don’t know if I can. But I have to try. I’m sorry, but I do.”
“What if you don’t find him? What then? I’ll have to take Ruby back to Florida and pick up the pieces you shattered.”
He put his hands on her shoulders. “You care about Ruby a great deal. I can see that. My father suffered, too. No one knew how much until it was too late. Try to see this from my point of view. I need to finish what my father started. He started his own investigation. I’m going to finish it.”
He was so sincere. And she did understand. She couldn’t fault him for trying to find Jackson. She just hoped Ruby could cope with another disappointment if he didn’t succeed.
Realizing he’d put both hands on her shoulders and that she was looking into his earnest eyes, Georgia averted her head and stepped back. He was so handsome, a perfect specimen of hotness in a gentleman package. Not her vision of what had ripped Ruby’s heart out. And not a man she’d expected to encounter.
“What’s this really about?” he asked again softly.
What did he mean? This was about Ruby suffering. Didn’t he see that?
“You tried to convince Ruby not to take the inheritance,” he said. “Why? Why would anyone refuse that kind of money?”
“It’s the money that destroyed her to begin with,” she said. “Jackson’s kidnapping only made everything worse.”
“Adair money? How?”
“Your family treated her like trash and supported Reginald divorcing her. They never liked her.”
“Who? My grandparents? Things have changed, Georgia. I don’t see them here. It’s just me, Whit and Landry. We had nothing to do with how anyone treated your stepmother.”
Well. He certainly had a way of putting her in her place. The worst part was he was right. She was tossing blame around wherever she could. If it had the name Adair attached to it, there was plenty to spread around.
She didn’t know what to say. She still didn’t trust him or his family, his money, their money. It was really that simple.
He leaned forward and pressed the elevator call button. “I’ll see you tonight.”
She watched him walk away, an inner struggle warring inside her.
The elevator doors opened but she didn’t get inside. Impulse made her walk after Carson.
“Carson?”
He stopped and faced her.
“I’m sorry. Maybe I am out of line. Ruby married a rich man and all it got her was a broken heart. His family never accepted her. And now the inheritance is pulling her back into that life. I’m afraid of what it will do to her. That’s why I can’t help wishing Reginald had left Ruby out of his will.”
A sexy grin curved up on his face. “I’m glad he didn’t.”
Georgia stared at him in slow comprehension. He wasn’t glad for Ruby, he was glad for himself. Because he’d met her.
The sound of a car approaching penetrated her awareness. They stood in the middle of the parking garage lane. Georgia stepped back to get out of the way when she spotted a man wearing sunglasses and a hat aim a gun out of the driver-side window.
Carson tackled her right as fear consumed her and the gun fired. She landed hard on the concrete behind the protection of a pickup truck. More shots rang out, pinging as the bullets hit the truck. Carson stayed on top of her while tires screeched and the sound of the car grew fainter.
Georgia sat up when Carson stood to peer over the hood of the truck. Georgia could no longer hear the car.
“Who was that?” she asked, breathy with wild adrenaline.
“I don’t know.” He reached for her hands to help her to her feet. “Are you hurt?”
Stepping back from him, she surveyed her body, wiping her hands down her now-dirty skirt suit. She had a minor scrape on her leg and her hands were a little sore, but other than a little shaken up, she was okay. “No bullet holes, so I couldn’t be better.”
Her attempt at humor fell flat on him. His brow was dark and low in grave contemplation. He must have some ideas about who had just shot at them. Wait. Why would anyone shoot at her? The inheritance? It didn’t seem likely. And as she recalled the way the man had aimed the gun, it hadn’t been directed at her. It had been directed at Carson.
“Why would anyone want to shoot you?” she asked.
His eyes met hers but he’d closed up. “Go back inside, Georgia. I’ll take care of this.”
Take care of it how? He ushered her to the elevator.
“But—”
He gave her a gentle push when the doors opened. She stepped inside and faced him.
“The police may want to question you.”
“I can wait for them to get here.”
“Go back inside. I want you out of danger. What if the car returns?”
“What about you?” He was in more danger than her.
“I was a marine. I can take care of myself.” Instead of sounding conceited, he spoke out of honesty and in a teasing tone. Sexy. Manly. A molten shiver ran through her. Then she checked herself. If she wasn’t careful, she could fall head over heels...for an Adair.
After the detective questioned them and AdAir Security gave him the recording of what had happened in the parking garage, he left to begin an investigation. Now Carson turned to Whit, who stood behind his desk, too charged up to sit down. He leaned against the wall with his feet crossed and arms folded, and Georgia sat on a sofa next to Ruby. The detective had asked them about Reginald’s murder and, after cautioning them over carrying on their own investigation, seemed to think the shooting might be related to their meddling.
“Why would Dad’s killer shoot at you and not me?” Whit asked. “We’re both looking into his murder and Jackson’s kidnapping.”
“Maybe he hasn’t tried to kill you yet,” Georgia said.
“I don’t think it was Dad’s killer who shot at me.”
Whit’s brow lifted. “Oh? You didn’t mention that to the detective.”
No, but his thoughts were filled with